'Stop fishing from the same pool': Distology CEO's TEDx call to arms

Distology CEO Hayley Roberts has told CRN she used a TEDx speaking opportunity last month to issue a "call to action" on the IT industry's talent crisis.

Roberts (pictured above, and with her fellow TEDx speakers, bottom) delivered her seven-minute talk at TEDxNorthwich on 23 April, with her performance now available to view on YouTube here.

Despite today owning and running a cybersecurity distributor, when faced with the choice between joining a global IT company and a small toiletries outfit as a young graduate, Roberts herself opted for the latter.

The IT industry's current talent struggle is down to "lazy hiring" because companies are "fishing from the same pool of talent", Roberts argued in her speech.

"Today is about why this needs to change and why technology can be a career for literally anyone," she said.

Talking to CRN, Hayley said the idea of doing a TEDx talk was first suggested by one of her business coaches.

"You get to write the speech and get lots of support from speaker coaches. The production is also impeccable," she said.

"It's not about saying ‘look at me and my journey' - it's about having a call to action. The call to action was that every one of us is responsible for educating young people on why technology is a great career choice."